Nan Xiang Jasmine Tea

Oh no this is not seaweed.

Drained Tea of Fortune jasmine tea

It's tea actually.

What's better than warm tea to sip on while it's raining heavily outside? I've been waiting so long for the dropping temperature, for the earthy smell after the rain stops, but I wasn't waiting for the flood on the streets.

Anyway the uncle had brought me one pack of Nan Xiang Jasmine Tea from China. The pack includes 9 small boxes of tea, or maybe I should say flower tea. The tea is unique, each one containing one flower which will bloom in hot water. I've seen this kind of tea before in other food blog posts, this tea is served at restaurants, apparently.

Nan Xiang Jasmine Tea box

I tried 5 packs of the tea, picking the five most interesting looking flowers. And BTW, I saved the best for the last.

Small tea packs

1. Tea of Fortune Jasmine Tea

Tea of Fortune  jasmine tea

I tried this one first, but maybe I made the tea in a wrong way, as the flower didn't bloom like the one pictured on the pack. And I am sorry if the flower inside the glass isn't clear, I probably used a glass too small that the flower can't blossom properly.

Clockwise L-R: the pack, alien-looking dried tea, in hot water, the flower starts blooming

2. Flower and Butterfly Love Jasmine Tea

Flower and Butterfly Love jasmine tea

The flower bloomed much more than the first one, showing orange wide-petal flower. But it looked totally different than the picture.

The pack

Clockwise L-R; dried tea, in hot water, the flower starts blooming

3. Seven Stars with Moon Jasmine Tea

Seven Stars with Moon jasmine tea

I love this one, as the tall, yellow flower looks simple yet pretty.

The pack

Clockwise L-R: dried tea, in hot water, flower starts blooming

4. Pretty Girl Jasmine Tea

Pretty Girl jasmine tea

The name suits the flower perfectly, it does look like a pretty girl no? This one's quite tall, I love how the pink flower is flanked by the humble-looking white flowers.

Clockwise L-R: the pack, dried tea, flower starts blooming in hot water

5. Madam Lotus Jasmine Tea

Madam Lotus jasmine tea

Doesn't look much different than the Pretty Girl one, does it? They are pictured differently, but I didn't see much difference, except that there are more white-yellow flowers on this one. This is the best-looking one! I love the colour, as this one's the most vibrant among the 4 others.

The pack

Clockwise L-R: dried tea, in hot water, blooming flower

I can't say much about the taste though. I believe every pack tastes the same, as the tea is much likely comes from the green leaves, not the flower. Did you see white strings binding the leaves on the bottom part? Seeing that, I wonder if they just bind the leaves and the flower tightly and dried them. Maybe that's why the various flowers don't give any difference in terms of flavour.

Having say that, I would say that I love the taste. It's actually fragrant, slightly bitter, but very enjoyable to drink. I waited for about 15 mins do the tea would be extracted perfectly.

I still have 4 packs left and I'm sure I'll make them soon enough.

Salted and Malted Chocolate Cookies [Recipe]

Cookies are one of the best snacks ever.

Cookies tower

Even for a semi-sweet tooth like myself. I don't really like much sugar in my food, but I still open my heart (and mouth) for desserts, of course.

I never put much belief in sweet-salty combination in my dessert, until I found this incredible recipe on Raspberri Cupcakes. Oh gosh that blog is full of things that dreams are made of, really.

After reading the simple recipe, I grew interest in combining salt with sugar. I also love Milo, so I was really positive to make these awesome cookies. I decided I'll make crunchy cookies, as I've made chewy cookies before. Here is the recipe.

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Salted and Malted Chocolate (Chips) Cookies

Recipe taken from Raspberri Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup malted milk powder, or Horlicks, Milo or Ovaltine
• 1 1/4 cups (approx 190g) plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or more, because there's no such thing as too much chocolate!)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two cookie sheets with baking paper. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until fluffy and pale. Add vanilla and egg and beat on low for a minute to combine. Add malt powder and beat on medium for a minute to combine. With the mixer still on low, add in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. The dough should come together and be quite dry and a bit sticky. Using a wooden spoon fold through 1 & 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.

Place level tablespoons of cookie mixture on a lined baking tray, press dough down to form a flat disk, about 1 cm high and 5 cm diameter. leaving at least 3cm space around each cookie to allow it to spread. With the extra 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, press a small amount of extra chips into the surface of each round. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they start to turn golden brown on the edges. You can bake 2 trays at a time, but make sure to switch the top and bottom trays around halfway through to allow each tray to bake evenly. The sooner you remove them the chewier they will be. If you wish them to be crunchier, leave them in there for longer but make sure the bottoms don't burn (remember they will cook a bit more while cooling on the trays). Allow to cool and harden slightly on the tray for 5 minutes before placing biscuits on a wire rack to cool further.

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I didn't do much tweaking, I only use a wee bit less salt, just in case. And I didn't use chocolate chips, I banged blocks of dark chocolate with cashew nuts using mortar and pestle. That's because I couldn't find dark chocolate chips nearby so I opted for the chocolate blocks bought from nearest minimart.

Silver Queen dark chocolate

I crushed the chocolate and mix it with the dough, leaving some to be put on top of the cookies and some more to nibble on.

The dough

My first and second batches ended up like oversized, burnt cookies. I put the cookie dough too big on the tray, and I still have issues with the new oven. The cookies from the first two batches tasted okay, I can taste the saltiness, but they were burnt so they're a bit too bitter for my liking.

Top-bottom: dough on the tray, giant cookies

After two batches of huge cookies (which combined so they look like one giant cookie), I made smaller tablespoons of cookie dough, and put some small pieces of chocolate on top. They turned out to be normal sized cookies and I was beyond happy. I finally made crunchy cookies!

Top-bottom: smaller circles on the pan, the normal sized cookies

The taste? They're freaking awesome. Probably the best thing I've ever baked in my life. I regret it very much that I didn't double the recipe.

Salted and malted chocolate cookies final product

They're the definition of moreish, really. I know they look ugly, my cookies are even more brown in colour compared to Raspberri Cupcakes' ones.

The cookies are deliciously crunchy, and as I've learned how to use the oven properly after the first two batches, they're not burnt. They're salty and sweet at the same time, but the contrasting flavours compliment each other amazingly well. I am so glad I use the dark chocolate with cashew nuts, as the nuttiness and a bit creaminess from the nuts offset the slight bitterness from the dark chocolate.

I love the saltiness so much, I never thought salt and sugar can produce such a great pairing. But I can only taste a small hint of Milo, maybe I need to add a bit more next time. These cookies disappeared too quickly, a big hit among the family. Totally recommended.

Oh, in case you're wondering, I use strawberry origami as props. Cute aren't they? They're easy to make trust me.

Strawberry papercraft origami

Miyatako, Ciputra Mall - Jakarta

Japanese food is great.

Takoyaki from Miyatako

Really, I love most of them including sushi, ramen, tempura, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, etc. I am fond of Japanese food very much, and I am very willing to try any that I haven't tried before.

So I stumbled on this small stall at Citraland Mall, and apparently they also make onigiri or Japanese rice ball. I haven't had that before, so I'm curious. I also heart takoyaki (grilled octopus balls) so I decided to buy some too.

Miyatako stall

Although small, this stall is kinda eye-catching due to the bright red board, banner, and the Japanese lanterns. The decoration also involves a dodgy-looking octopus doll that looks sad hanging alone.

Japanese lantern

I always love watching people making something. That's why I love TV shows like Masterchef or any show that involves people cooking something.

Watching the crew making the octopus balls was no different. It's interesting to see the man using cone-shaped pouring batter device. Using the practical tool, he was able to fill in the special takoyaki-making-pan in no time.

Clockwise L-R: twisting the cooked takoyaki, pouring in the batter, batter cooked in special mould

Then he added sliced octopus and chopped shallots. He frequently twisted the almost-done balls with chopsticks to make sure they're cooked evenly.

Cooking the batter with octopus and shallots

Takoyaki is a popular Japanese grilled savoury dumpling, where sliced octopus is hidden inside.

The octopus balls I purchased were good. They are served in a stereofoam bowl, piping hot, doused with sweet and sour sauce, mayo, and then topped with nori (seaweed) powder and bonito (fish flakes). Fishy smell comes from the bonito, but the smell isn't really strong so it doesn't make your stomach churn.

The balls are firm, and I love it that way. A bit crispy on the skin, and the hidden octopus inside is the real jackpot. The octopus itself are chewy, but not too much as it's still enjoyable to eat. However, next time I'll ask for less sauce, as the balls themselves are already tasty. They're not the best I've had, but I don't regret spending my money on them.

Takoyaki (4 pcs) - IDR 15,000 ($1.6)

For those who didn't know onigiri, it's Japanese rice ball, typically shaped triangular or oval and wrapped with nori (seaweed). There are many kind of fillings and flavours of onigiri nowadays in Japan, just because they're very popular. Traditionally, they're filled with ume (plum).

The rice used to make onigiri is different than sushi rice, although I'd really love to use sushi rice to make onigiri. Onigiri is made from plain white rice.

Miyatako offers three kind of onigiri; the original, tempura crispy, and hot crispy (if I'm not mistaken). I chose the tempura crispy, imagining crunchy tempura inside the triangular rice.

It turns out that they only mix the rice with finely chopped nori and rather soggy tempura flakes. And I do wish for more nori sheets actually. The taste is kinda bland, there's a light saltiness but that's it. The rice is firm and actually would be really great if it's not that tasteless. It's a pity, as the smell coming from the triangle is really mouthwatering.

Tempura crispy onigiri - IDR 6,000 ($0.6)

I've tasted onigiri, but I am not satisfied yet. I wonder if this is how an onigiri supposed to taste. I'm going to find more onigiri vendors around for sure.








Address:

MIYATAKO

Ciputra Mall Lv. 4 Unit L

Jalan Letjen. S. Parman

Jakarta 11470

Ice Cream Day (A Way to Beat the Heat)

Seriously, where's the rain?

A scoop on a slice of white bread

I thought this month is supposed to be rainy! Yet the rain only comes very rarely, and when it does come, it only lasts like what, 5 mins? Pffft. But thank God these few days have been cloudy, that really helps decreasing the high degrees.

Anyway it was still really hot yesterday, and I need to find some kind of solace. Then I dragged the brother to the nearest minimart and bought few ice cream. I was really satisfied by the frozen snack that I also dragged the boy to get some more ice cream at night. I never eaten ice cream that much in one day before.

So here are what I consumed yesterday. These are some of my favourites I must say. Do buy some if you need something cold to beat the heat. And no, this post is not advertorial at all.


1. Wall's Buavita strawberry fruit ice

This is my fav fruit ice. Actually, Wall's Buavita comes in three flavours, which are strawberry, red grape, and kiwi. But this is the best one for me. The strawberry taste seems rather real, and it even has small chunks of strawberry fruit hidden in the ice. It's fresh and sweet, definitely moreish.

Wall's Buavita strawberry - about IDR 5,000 ($0.5)

2. Wall's Buavita red grape fruit ice

This is the brother of the strawberry one, but the taste is less real for me. The grape flavour somehow resembles a grape bubblegum taste. It's still refreshing though, especially in Jakarta's endlessly high temperature.

Wall's Buavita red grape - about IDR 5,000 ($0.5)

3. Wall's Buavita kiwi fruit ice

This one, I've to say, is my least fav compared to its two brothers. I just don't buy the kiwi taste. It's kinda weird for me. But I notice that none of these three fruit ice is overly sweet.

Wall's Buavita kiwi - about IDR 5,000 ($0.5)

4. Magnum almond

Too bad there's no Magnum temptation fruit here in Indo. That's my fav Magnum in Sydney. Instead, there's Magnum almond that almost as tempting as Magnum temptation fruit. This ice cream is a real deliciousness, the chocolate coating is delicious, and the almond chunks make it even better. The vanilla ice cream is smooth and I believe that nothing can go wrong with vanilla ice cream and chocolate coating pairing.

Almond Magnum - about IDR 11,000 ($1.2)

5. Binggrae's Cham Bungeo Ssamanko (vanilla and red bean ice cream)

Binggrae is a Korean ice cream company (correct me if I'm wrong), that offers unique Korean ice cream. Their ice creams are quite pricey, but some of them taste really good. One of my fav is this vanilla and read bean ice cream. The ice cream is enveloped by a thin layer of soggy wafer, shaped like a fish. Cute no?

Binggrae's Cham Bungeo Ssamanko (vanilla and red bean ice cream) - IDR 12,000 ($1.3)

The vanilla ice cream is much more than the red bean, but as the red bean part is sweeter than the vanilla, they balance very well. I love the marriage of smooth texture from the vanilla ice cream and the grainy texture from the red bean. I love the taste too, and the soggy wafer adds nice extra texture. Recommended.

The vanilla and red bean layers

6. Campina's three flavour ice cream; chocolate, chocolate chips, and cappuccino

I was really full of ice cream already, but then the mom came home and bring this Campina's ice cream. It's the family's fav, as each one of us have our own fav flavour. Mine is the choc chips, although I don't mind combining them together. The ice cream is smooth, except for the choc chips which has chocolate flakes. The cappuccino flavour is a bit strong, so I tend to get just a bit of it.

Campina's three flavours; chocolate, choc chips, and cappuccino

I don't know who invented the way to savor ice cream with bread, but he sure is a genius. I love eating ice cream with white bread. Put huge scoop(s) on a slice (or maybe two), and enjoy when the bread soaks up the melting ice cream. Bliss.

The only bad thing from the ice cream day is the kilos I gained the next day. Oh what can I say, the ice cream was tasty hehee. So, have you ever eaten this much ice cream in one day before?

Bakmi Bangka Aon (Aon Bangka Noodles), Jakarta

I am an easily-pleased person.

Aon Bangka-style noodles

A bowl of firm noodles with tasty seasoning and tender chicken chunks on top, completed with spicy chilli sauce can already make me feel content. Especially when it's Bangka-style noodles.

Having a dad who was born in Bangka (a small island in Sumatra) really influences my tongue. I have eaten a lot of Bangka's traditional food, and I love it. Bangka noodles is my most fav, no other kind of noodles will make me look away.

The noodles from this restaurant does the same effect to me. I've only dined here once, a long time ago. And apparently this is the brother's fav Bangka noodles. I already forgot the taste, so it's great to try it again.

Bakmi Bangka Aon cart

I'm not sure if the place can be called a restaurant actually. The dining area is on the first level of their own house, providing only 7 medium-size tables and simple stools. It's not exactly my idea of comfortable dining, as the house is located near a railway, where the noise from passing trains and honking horns from the cars stuck in traffic jams are inevitable. And the high humidity of Jakarta doesn't help either.

Also, the place is really popular among the people around, so it's truly packed. Some even decided to do takeaways instead of dining in because the tables were all occupied. From what I heard, this noodle restaurant has been serving since 1970.

Since the owner is a Bangkanese, they also sell original Bangka snacks, such as getas (fish crackers from Bangka), tahu cao (traditional fried tofu from Bangka), and so on.

Top-bottom: diners enjoying their noodles on simple table, kerupuk (crackers) for sale

The noodle making process is done on the big, blue cart in front of the dining area. The only chef is the owner himself, guarantying the real kind of Bangka-style noodles.

The cart is completed with two big pots to boil the noodles, few strainers and bowls of the noodles condiments.

Noodles making bench

I was really happy to discover two different types of chilli sauce provided, the mild sambal tauco (tauco chilli sauce; tauco is fermented soya bean paste) and the spicy chilli sauce.

The tauco chilli sauce is almost like Bangka's signature sauce, with unique fragrant and earthy sweetness. I believe that this tauco chilli sauce is obtained by mixing the paste with chilli sauce. And the result is watery yet tasty sauce, with some mini chunks of soy beans. I won't believe if a Bangka noodle stall serve their noodles without this tauco sauce.

Top-bottom: two jars of chilli sauce, the tauco chilli sauce

A bowl of noodles also includes blanched Chinese spinach and beansprout, minced chicken, chopped shallots, and pinches of pepper. I had one with a bowl of wonton soup.

The noodles are very tasty. They're perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the chicken chunks are greatly tender and juicy. This is truly a bowl of Bangka noodles, there's something special about the smell and the taste. Even better with spoons of tauco chilli sauce.

Bakmi Bangka (Bangka noodles) with three wontons - IDR 15,000 ($1.6)

The wontons are good too, the soup is hot and tasty as well.

Wonton soup

The noodles are really great, I can see why it's so popular. But I have to say that this is not my favourite. However, if you're looking for some real Bangka noodles, this place is a good choice.


Rating: 3/5 (Worth the try)
Authentic Bangkanese noodles, price and service OK, environment can be very humid and super noisy.










Address:


BAKMI BANGKA AON


Jln. Hadiah no 17
Jelambar, Grogol
Jakarta 11460